The hunt for the Smoky Hill River Festival Medallion started back on Wednesday, May 18th. A little over a week later the elusive treasure was found.
The 16th clue “underfoot pattern” led Samantha Uhler to the medallion. This year’s medallion turned out to be a silver blot. It was hidden in a yucca plant on the south side of the North Ohio Street Overpass, near some benches.
Uhler, along with many other treasure hunters, had been led to the area of the overpass by the clues. She said she’d been to the area several times. Thursday morning she patiently waited for the 16th clue to be released. It was that clue that led her to find the coveted medallion.
Uhler is the 16th winner of the Festival Medallion Quest that was started in 2009 by the Smoky Hill River Festival. “The clues are not always what they mean,” she said, reporting that she touched every pole, bolt, and wood chip during her search. “I looked in Lakewood Park near the Frisbee golf baskets and mural, and at Indian Rock Park too… retracing my steps over and over.”
The 2022 Medallion is flat, approx. 2 inches in diameter, made of metal, and shaped like paint splatter, with raw metal on one side and a colorful rainbow pattern on the other. On Wednesday, May 25 Brad Anderson found that the original Medallion had been lost in the environment, likely because of the rain. It is promptly replaced with the Medallion that Uhler found, but this time it was left without disguise of organic matter.
For finding the medallion Samantha wins a prize package valued at several thousand dollars. The Festival Medallion Quest 2022 prize package includes:
- $1,000 in cash
- $2,000 in Festival Gift Certificates, to be used for purchases in the Fine Art and Craft Show or Art/Craft Demonstration Area, during the Festival weekend
- Four complimentary Festival admission wristbands
- One on-grounds Festival parking pass (weather permitting)
- An invitation for four to attend the evening PREMIERE Art Patron Party on Thursday, June 9th
- Four Smoky Hill River Festival t-shirts
Samantha is a senior at Bethany College and plans to use the $1,000 cash portion of her prize to purchase books.
Complete list of 2022 Smoky Hill River Festival Medallion Clues
Smoky Hill River Festival Medallion winner media conference
